Adriana Aguilar: At home in Arkansas

Texas native values connections she's made through volunteering at St. Martin Church

Published: August 29, 2018

What national or global issue are you most passionate about?

“Animal cruelty. I’m a total animal lover. I kind of find it funny that my birthday falls on feast day for St. Francis, and he’s the patron saint of animals and I’m an animal lover. I connect with him.”

Adriana Aguilar moved to Arkansas from her native Laredo, Texas, last September to accept a job with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. She didn’t know a soul. What a difference a year makes.

“I don’t have any family in Arkansas so church was just kind of part of home,” she said. “When I got here I was going through lots of changes, so it honestly helped a lot just to have that constant.”

Aguilar, 25, jumped into parish life at St. Martin Church in Nashville with both feet. She’s secretary and treasurer of the parish council there and has been involved with activities and special events large and small. It’s personal connections she values most.

“(St. Martin’s is) really close-knit. It’s honestly a very large family,” she said. “I’m used to the cathedral in Laredo, but it’s nothing compared to this. At the cathedral, you don’t really know everybody; within a couple of months I knew people. I was going to church parties and I had just moved here.”

She’d advise other young Catholics to make church life a priority even as work and family crowd most peoples’ schedules.

“Honestly, don’t let go of your faith,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful feeling; it’s one of the best things of my day. It’s always going to be there; you’ve just got to make sure you go back.”

What national or global issue are you most passionate about?

“Animal cruelty. I’m a total animal lover. I kind of find it funny that my birthday falls on feast day for St. Francis, and he’s the patron saint of animals and I’m an animal lover. I connect with him.”

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